‘All Politics is Local’? The AfD in Local Elections and Local Politics in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

The AfD, founded in 2013, has become the predominant political party on the far right and an established part of the German party system, enjoying considerable electoral success, especially in Eastern Germany. Studies of the right-wing populist party have so far concentrated on the national level, neglecting the sub-national and especially the local level. We want to address this deficiency and analyse the AfD in local politics in the state of Mecklenburg Western Pomerania (MV), and especially the city of Rostock. An aggregate data analysis for 21 neighbourhoods in Rostock will examine the AfD’s election results, combined with qualitative, interpretative studies of motions put forward by the AfD in the city council of Rostock. Guiding questions are: Is the AfD a local party? Where and why is the AfD successful on the local level? What does the AfD do on the local level? Our results show that although the AfD is not (yet) a successful local party, which means gaining majorities in elections and for their motions, the rise of the AfD on the local level contributes to the establishment and normalisation of the party.